It’s not much of a secret that Ric Bucher doesn’t think as highly of Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James as most other people when it comes to conversations about who the greatest player of all time is.
Bucher appeared to have taken his critical approach to James as a player when he said that the four-time NBA champion shouldn’t even be considered one of the greats in Lakers history.
LeBron isn’t an all-time Lakers great,” Bucher of Fox Sports boldly claimed.
For Bucher, the bare minimum for a player to be considered a Lakers great is to play for at least 10 years with Los Angeles and win no fewer than three rings.
.@RicBucher: The entry fee to become a Lakers all-time great is 10 years of service and 3 championships.
"LeBron isn't an all-time Lakers great." pic.twitter.com/y3VSOuOE9f
— Speak (@SpeakOnFS1) March 6, 2025
Following those parameters, the likes of Shaquille O’Neal and Jerry West can’t be considered an all-time LA great. Shaq played for only eight years with the Lakers, while West never won a ring during his legendary NBA career.
Fans react to Ric Bucher’s claim on LeBron James
Sure enough, fans online went off on Bucher’s take.
“This is your [expletive] standard you created,” said a fan.
Another one said: “So does that mean Jerry west isn’t an all time laker great?”
From a commenter: “So the Lakers never had a single all time great Laker until 1985. And then only 1. Got it.”
“So Pau getting his jersey retired wasn’t warranted? By that logic,” a triggered social media user posted.
Via a different commenter: “We not gon disrespect the late great Elgin Baylor and Jerry west like this.”
James already has a title with the Lakers, which he won in 2020. He is also in his seventh season with the Lakers, still producing elite numbers despite being already 40 years old. But those are clearly not impressive enough for Bucher to view James’ Lakers resume in the same light he does with those of the likes of Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
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